Hello Bob,
I wondered all the things you are wondering about using a DSLR camera
for bird photography a few years ago. Most of your points have been
answered by other Birding-Austers but her are a few additional thoughts.
I spent a lot of time studying the forums of Bird Forum
<http://www.birdforum.net/> The answers to almost all your questions
can be found there amongst the posts of their 76000 contributors to
117000 threads.
After using Nikon film gear for decades I finally bought a Canon 350D
plus a Canon 100-400 IS L lens. After about 35000 frames the 350D
started to give erratic exposures so when Nikon and Canon were having a
price war I took the opportunity to buy a Canon 40D with a £100
discount. For a walk around general purpose lens I use a Sigma 18-200 OS
lens. I am very happy with my current gear and would buy it again if I
had too.
I agree with other contributors to this discussion that there is little
to pick between Nikon and Canon. Nikon are currently selling more DSLR
cameras than Canon due to their low priced D40 and D60 models. On the
other hand Canon seems to be the preferred brand amongst wildlife
photographers. In the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
<http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/>
exhibition currently showing at the Natural History Museum, London (and
due to open soon at the Australian Museum
<http://www.austmus.gov.au/visiting/whatson/display.cfm?event_id=322>,
Sydney) roughly three quarters of the images were taken on Canon
equipment. I urge anybody interested in wildlife photography in general
and bird photography in particular to have a look at this exhibition if
they can so see what magnificent images can be made if you put the
effort into it.
You will soon find that the limiting factor to obtaining good photos of
birds is not the brand of camera or the lens (so long as it will reach
to 400mm or so) but your technique. The truth is that long focal length
lenses are tricky things to use. Optical Stabilisation is a useful
feature in some applications but most of my best bird photos have been
taken with it turned off. A bean bag or tripod plus a cable release are,
in my opinion, almost essential for sharp pictures. A bean bag can be
made using a 22cm square cloth bag filled with 1kg of wheat or beans. I
started off with a metal Manfrotto tripod but now have a Swarovski
carbon fibre model for its lightness. As other people have pointed out,
the skill that is really important is knowing how to stalk the little
critters - how to get close without frightening them. Being close is
much more important that spending a lot of money on long focal length
lenses.I am still very much a learner here.
I have always bought camera bodies from well known retailers and lenses
from the place with the best price- the body is much more likely to
develop a fault than the lens. The motherboard in my 350D died soon
after I bought it and had to be replaced under warranty by Canon.
Discount Digital Photographics <http://www.d-d-photographics.com.au/> in
Sydney sell Canon, Nikon and Sony gear at reasonable prices. They are
'grey' importers i.e. they buy directly through Asia rather than Canon
Australia etc. Their lenses come with warranties but not for repair by
Canon Australia etc.
I bought a 1.4 teleconverter but find that I rarely use it. Converters
seem to be a better idea in theory than in practice.They may be a good
idea when used with large aperture (f2.8 or f4.0) prime lenses around
200 or 300mm to give the sharpness of a prime plus extra range.
When I bought my Sigma 18 - 200mm super zoom standard lens Sigma were
the only people manufacturing this type. Now Nikon and Canon also make
them. All optics are compromises. In this case acceptable sharpness is
obtained over the zoom range at the cost of pin cushion and barrel
distortion.This is rarely a problem.
No matter whether you choose Canon , Nikon, Pentax, or Sony you will,
with patience, find DSLR bird photography to be a very rewarding
activity. The initial investment of around $4000 may seem high but
will. in time, seem very reasonable.
Hope these thoughts help you,
Jim Smart
Hampshire UK
(Normally East Maitland NSW)
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